This invention relates to cleaning generally, and more particularly to a system and method to clean and disinfect carpets, fabrics and hard surfaces by using electrolyzed alkaline water produced by an electrolysis process using the standard electrolyte solution of 20% sodium chloride (NaCl).
Ever since carpets came into common use, people have wrestled with the difficulty of keeping them clean. Carpet, unlike other fabric in household use, is exposed to an enormous amount of foreign matter such as dirt, grass, leaves, sand, dust, mud, animal hair, and spilled food. The problem is compounded by both the permanent (e.g. wall-to-wall) installation of carpet and the length of fibers found in many carpets. Permanent (e.g. wall-to-wall) installation requires on-site cleaning. Bundles of yarns comprised of many fibers tend to capture or adhere to soiling, such as particulate matter. Conventional washing and cleaning processes remain ineffective.
xe2x80x9cHot-water extractionxe2x80x9d methods have been developed to facilitate carpet cleaning. Hot water may actually include water; saturated, two-phase, steam and water; or superheated steam. The latter is not commonly relied upon, since it is typically hotter than the distortion temperature of synthetic fibers.
According to these methods, water is heated, pressurized, supplemented with chemical additives, and applied to carpet in order to dissolve or release soils and particulates and to suspend the resulting matter in the water (e.g. solvent, carrier, etc.). A xe2x80x9cvacuumxe2x80x9d system then extracts the dissolved soils, suspended particulates, and water out of the fibers. The water and air flows drawn by the vacuum system carry the entire mixture to a holding tank.
Most carpet and upholstery cleaning devices utilize a water-based cleaning solution that contains organic detergents. The solution is directed in a forceful stream onto the material to be cleaned. The temperature of the solution, the force of the directed stream, and the chemistry of the solution are all factors in the device""s ability to clean effectively.
Hospital infections due to methicillin-resistant Staphlococcus aaureus (MRSA) have greatly increased since 1980. For prevention of hospital infection, thorough cleaning of the hospital environment is important. The hospital environment includes many soft fabric surfaces such as carpets. Additionally, hard tile floors, walls, counter tops, and the like must be cleaned and disinfected to prevent the spread of hospital infections. Chemical disinfectants have been usually used for this purpose. However, the use of chemical disinfectants creates the risk of generating resistant strains. Moreover, many chemicals used can be toxic to humans.
Electrolyzed oxidizing water (EO water) is useful for disinfecting and cleaning, and therefore can be used as an alternative to the detergent solutions for the cleaning of fabric, carpet, and hard surfaces. U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,869, to John M. Hopkins, discloses a cleaning system that utilizes a wand that both injects hot EO water at a high pressure and at a shallow angle, and simultaneously recovers the water by a strong vacuum. The EO water serves as a solvent, much of which leaves the wand in the form of microdroplets, to solublize dirt and greas from the fabric fibers. EO water is acidic with a pH of about 2.3 to 2.8. Electrolyzed alkaline water has a pH of about 11.2 to 11.6 and is produced with the same commercially available equipment that produces EO water. In the prior art, however, only the acidic EO water has been used with cleaning systems such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,869.
The present invention relates to a system and method of cleaning carpets, fabrics and hard surfaces with electrolyzed alkaline water produced from an electrolyte solution. According to one aspect of the invention, an electrolyte solution for producing electrolyzed alkaline water includes water and an electrolyte, wherein the electrolyte includes sodium chloride (NaCl).
In one presently preferred embodiment, an electrolyte solution is made by combining tap or other water with a concentration of about 1% to 50% sodium chloride. However, a concentration of 10% to 30% sodium chloride is more preferable. In certain embodiments a concentration of about 20% of sodium chloride is preferred. In other embodiments the NaCl may be used in a concentration of about 125 g/liter.
The electrolyte solution is converted into electrolyzed alkaline water along with EO water. Both have cleaning action, with the alkaline form superior for removing lipid based or organic stains. Both forms of electrolyzed water remove absorbed dirt and stains and have microbiocidal properties. Electrolyzed oxidizing water, which is mildly acidic, but very active, helps achieve a fresh, clean odor in the cleaning of carpet and hard surfaces. Electrolyzed oxidizing water having a pH of 2.8 or below, an oxidation-reduction potential of 1100+ millivolts (mV) or more and electrolyzed alkaline water having a pH of 11.2 to 11.6, an oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of about xe2x88x92840 to xe2x88x92847 mV can be produced from tap water using a commercial water generator.